The Royals reportedly appear serious in their pursuit of free-agent outfielder Carlos Beltran, according to The Kansas City Star.

"We'd love to have him in," one Royals official told the newspaper. "One thing about Carlos Beltran is he's a money player. He's an RBI guy. He produces."

Beltran, 36, is one of the top free-agent outfielders on the market and has his share of suitors. The Royals figure to make their pitch in the near future, according to the Star.

Beltran began his career in Kansas City, spending his first seven years with the Royals before being traded to the Astros in 2004. Beltran has since played with the Mets and Cardinals, but he told MLB.com earlier this month that there is mutual interest in a reunion with the club that selected him in the second round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft.

"Right now, there are just a lot of teams that have interest in my services, but we haven't talked about the number of years or the money; everything is preliminary right now," Beltran said.

Cash Kruth is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cashkruth. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.